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Read Full BioMiriam Adelson is an Israeli-American physician, businesswoman, philanthropist, and one of the most influential political donors in the United States. The widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, she amassed her vast wealth through her stake in the gaming and hospitality empire Las Vegas Sands. For those unfamiliar, Las Vegas Sands owns and operates the Venetian resort in Macau; however, it recently sold its assets in Las Vegas.
Key Beats
- Miriam Adelson was a pioneer of medical addiction treatment before expanding her business interests through marriage.
- She owns a diverse business portfolio that spans casinos, sports, entertainment, and media, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world.
- A key political donor in both the US and Israel, Adelson has a complicated public perception for many.
Miriam Adelson Net Worth
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index listing, Miriam Adelson’s net worth in 2025 is estimated at $40 billion. This immense wealth places her firmly among the top 50 wealthiest people in the world and her, individually, among the richest women in America. She also holds the distinction of being the richest Israeli billionaire, underscoring her global financial prominence.
Bloomberg’s ranking methodology provides daily updates based on market movements, dividend payouts, and fluctuations in publicly traded assets. Because Miriam Adelson’s wealth is closely tied to her Las Vegas Sands fortune, changes in the casino operator’s share price have a direct impact on her net worth.
Additionally, her holdings benefit from the company’s history of paying out substantial dividends, which have already yielded more than $10 billion to the Adelson family over the years.
Her assets go beyond gaming. The Adelson family’s acquisition of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team added a high-profile and fast-growing sports investment to its portfolio.
She also holds media interests, including ownership stakes in Israel Hayom, a widely read Israeli newspaper, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, one of Nevada’s leading publications. Together, these holdings illustrate an empire that spans gaming, sports, and media.
When compared with other female billionaires in 2025, Miriam Adelson’s fortune rivals those of prominent figures such as Françoise Bettencourt Meyers of L’Oréal and Alice Walton of Walmart. However, her wealth stems from a unique blend of casinos and entertainment.
Among casino moguls, she stands apart as the most influential. In this way, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index listing not only reflects her financial standing but also her symbolic role as an influential figure in both business and culture.
Miriam Adelson Biography Summary
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Miriam Farbstein Adelson |
| Date of Birth | 1945 (Tel Aviv, British Mandate Palestine) |
| Nationality | Israeli-American |
| Education | B.Sc. in Microbiology & Genetics (Hebrew University); M.D. (Tel Aviv University, Sackler Medical School) |
| Profession | Physician (specialized in addiction medicine), Businesswoman, Philanthropist |
| Business Holdings | Majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands; Majority stake in Dallas Mavericks |
| Media Holdings | Israel Hayom (Israel), Las Vegas Review-Journal (U.S.) |
| Net Worth (2025) | $40 billion estimate (Bloomberg Billionaires Index) |
Early Life and Education
Miriam Adelson was born Miriam Farbstein in 1945 in Tel Aviv, which was then part of the British Mandate Palestine. Her parents were Polish Jewish refugees who fled Europe before the war and lost many relatives during the Nazi genocide. That ensured that her early life and upbringing were profoundly shaped by Holocaust survivor family history. Many believe it is this tragic history that instilled in her a profound sense of resilience and purpose, qualities that would later define her career and philanthropy.
Adelson spent her childhood in Haifa, where her father operated a chain of movie theatres, exposing her to both entrepreneurial pursuits and cultural life. From a young age, her academic paths and pursuits were guided by a keen interest in science and medicine.
She pursued her undergraduate studies in microbiology and genetics at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she gained a strong foundation in biomedical research. That led to her earning a medical degree at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Medical School, one of Israel’s most respected institutions for medical training.
After completing her education, Adelson began a medical career in Israel, where she worked in internal medicine and later focused on research. Eventually, though, her ambitions led her to the United States, where she would refine her medical expertise and transition into a field that would become her life’s work – addiction treatment.
Adelson’s Medical Career and Philanthropy
After relocating to the United States, Adelson pursued advanced research at Rockefeller University in New York, working with leading scientists to explore the biology of chemical dependency. This period sharpened her expertise and shaped her lifelong commitment to helping individuals struggling with substance abuse.
Together with her husband, Sheldon Adelson, she founded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research, with locations in Las Vegas and Tel Aviv.
These clinics became essential institutions, providing free or affordable care for individuals seeking recovery from heroin and other addictions. Beyond clinical treatment, Adelson has been a vocal advocate for medical research, policy reform, and education in the area of addiction. She believes that substance abuse should be understood as a public health challenge rather than a moral failing.
Her philanthropy has since extended beyond medicine to encompass Jewish causes, education, and political initiatives, but her work in addiction treatment remains a hallmark of her legacy. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018, the United States’ highest civilian honour, acknowledging her dual role as a physician and philanthropist.
Through these efforts, Adelson has cemented her reputation as a pioneering advocate for addiction treatment philanthropy, linking her medical career as Miriam Adelson, physician, with a broader mission of social impact.
Key honors awarded to Miriam Adelson:
- 2007 – Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University
- 2008 – Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship
- 2017 – Honorary Citizenship of Jerusalem
- 2018 – Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA)
- 2019 – Honorary Doctorate, Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
- 2021 – Honorary Doctorate, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya
Business Holdings – Las Vegas Sands
When analyzing Miriam Adelson’s transformation into one of the world’s wealthiest women, it is impossible to separate it from her connection to the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the global gaming empire founded by her late husband, Sheldon Adelson. Their marriage in the early 1990s intertwined her personal and professional life with the fortunes of one of the most successful casino and resort operators in the history of the industry. Under Sheldon’s leadership, Las Vegas Sands grew into a powerhouse, pioneering luxury integrated resorts in the United States and Asia.
Following Sheldon Adelson’s death in 2021, Miriam became the majority owner of the family’s stake in the company. As the owner of Las Vegas Sands, she now oversees one of the largest casino and hospitality groups in the world.
The company sold its iconic Las Vegas properties in 2022, including the Venetian and Palazzo, re-anchoring its core assets in Asia, particularly in Macau and Singapore. At the time of writing, the corporation is looking to return to the US by building a Las Vegas Sands destination casino in Texas.
In 2024, Las Vegas Sands reported $11.3 billion in revenue, reflecting the resilience of its Asian operations despite global economic uncertainties. Over the years, the Adelson family wealth has also benefited enormously from their holdings, collecting over $10 billion in dividends from Sands shares. These distributions have not only secured their place among the world’s financial elite but also provided the resources that fuel Miriam Adelson’s philanthropic and political activities.
Through her stewardship of Las Vegas Sands, she has emerged as a casino billionaire and a defining figure in the modern gaming business. Miriam Adelson’s business empire is firmly tied to the enduring success of a gaming industry fortune and thriving global brand.
Dallas Mavericks Acquisition
In December 2023, Miriam Adelson and her family made headlines with the purchase of a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA team. This deal valued the franchise at an estimated $3.5 billion.
By 2024, the team’s valuation had already risen to an estimated $4.46 billion. For Adelson, the move represented more than just a financial opportunity; it marked a strategic diversification of her fortune beyond casinos and hospitality into the increasingly lucrative world of professional sports.
As the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, she entered a select circle of NBA billionaire investors whose influence extends beyond the court into media, culture, and entertainment. The acquisition also ensured her expanding influence in American business and culture, highlighting her ability to shape industries beyond gaming.
Political Influence and Legacy
Adelson is widely recognized as one of the most significant political donors in the United States. As a Republican mega donor, she has directed vast sums toward conservative candidates, super PACs, and causes aligned with her political ideals.
Miram Adelson’s philanthropy and political spending have also extended to Israel advocacy, supporting initiatives that strengthen US-Israel relations and promote policies favourable to the Jewish state. That has brought controversy, with some hailing Adelson as a dedicated philanthropist whose support advances medical research, Jewish education, and addiction treatment.
In contrast, others critique her role in the outsized sway of money in politics. This dual perception reflects the complexity of her public image.
Conclusion
Miriam Adelson’s story is one of remarkable transformation from a dedicated physician to a billionaire businesswoman whose influence spans continents and industries. Her place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index confirms her status as one of the world’s wealthiest women, with a fortune rooted in casinos, diversified into sports, and amplified through media holdings.
Ultimately, Miriam Adelson’s philanthropic legacy rests on the dual pillars of her career: her contributions as a physician and advocate, and her stature as a billionaire businesswoman whose wealth and influence extend across industries and borders.
FAQs
Miriam Adelson owns stakes in two major publications: Israel Hayom, one of Israel’s most widely read newspapers, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest daily newspaper, acquired by the Adelson family in 2015.
She met Sheldon Adelson in the late 1980s after moving to the United States to further her medical career. Their shared interests in philanthropy, Jewish causes, and public service brought them together, and they married in 1991.
While she no longer works as a practicing physician, Miriam Adelson remains active in the field of addiction treatment and research. She co-founded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinics in Las Vegas and Tel Aviv, continuing her advocacy for public health solutions.
In 2018, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honour, in recognition of her contributions to medicine, philanthropy, and civic causes.
As of 2025, Miriam Adelson’s net worth is estimated to be $40 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Through her Las Vegas Sands fortune and Dallas Mavericks ownership, Miriam Adelson is ranked among the richest women in the world and is recognized as the wealthiest Israeli billionaire.
